A series of structures was built along Widden Brook to trap sandy bed load as part of a river rehabilitation project. Stock-proof fencing of the riparian corridor was also carried out. The combination of in-stream structures and riparian revegetation has successfully sequestered large volumes of sand over the last six years, causing a substantial reduction in downstream sand supply. Downstream channel response to sand sequestration has included up to 1 m of bed degradation, channel contraction to less than half of the initial channel width, formation of marginal in-channel benches, reformation of a well-defined, rhythmically-spaced pool-riffle sequence and creation of a partially gravel-armoured bed surface. Sand storage in the study reach has starved the river immediately downstream, inducing bed erosion and the size-selective transport of sand and fine gravel. Residual pool depths now store four times the volume of water that was present before the start of river rehabilitation.